JP2009230377A - Driving support device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving support device for a vehicle for supporting an adequate merging operation by enabling a driver to easily grasp a position relation between a merging candidate space on a merging destination lane and a self-vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A driving support device for a vehicle for making a self-vehicle S merge with the flow of vehicles C1 to C4 on a traveling lane 22 of a trunk line 21 is provided with: a merging candidate space detection part 1 for detecting merging candidate spaces GAP1 to GAP3 between vehicles on the traveling lane 22; a merging time difference calculation part for calculating a merging time difference between the arrival time of the self-vehicle S to a merging position Pa on the traveling lane 22 and the arrival time of the merging candidate spaces GAP1 to GAP3 to the merging position Pa; and a display control part 3 for, when the merging candidate space whose merging time difference is less than a prescribed reference time is detected, making a display device 12 display a bird's eye view near the merging position including the display of the merging candidate space visually prioritized in the order of the small merging time difference and the display of the self-vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a driving support device for a vehicle that supports appropriate merging in a highway interchange or the like.

  An example of a conventional vehicle driving support device is described in Patent Document 1 below. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, when a vehicle merges at an interchange, the vehicle position on the merge destination lane is calculated, and the driver's burden is reduced by controlling the brake operation and the steering wheel steering angle. .

JP 2006-176069 A

  By the way, it is desirable that the driver knows the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the merge candidate space between the vehicles on the merge destination lane for proper merge. However, conventionally, even if automatic control such as brake operation is performed, a technique for allowing the driver to grasp the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the merge candidate space between vehicles on the merge destination lane has not been realized.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving support apparatus that supports a suitable merging operation by allowing a driver to easily grasp the positional relationship between a merging candidate space on a merging destination lane and the host vehicle. Yes.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle driving support device according to the present invention is a vehicle driving support device that joins a host vehicle to a flow of a vehicle on a joining destination lane, and between vehicles on the joining destination lane. A merge candidate space detecting means for detecting a merge candidate space, and a merge time difference for calculating a merge time difference between the arrival time of the host vehicle at the merge position on the merge destination lane and the arrival time of the merge candidate space at the merge position. Including a calculation means and a display of the merge candidate space and a display of the own vehicle visually prioritized in ascending order of the merge time difference when a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than a predetermined first reference time is detected. Display control means for displaying a bird's-eye view near the merging position on a display device.

  As described above, according to the vehicle driving support device of the present invention, the bird's-eye view of the vicinity of the merging position including the display of the merging candidate space and the display of the host vehicle which are visually prioritized in ascending order of merging time difference is displayed. As a result, the driver can easily grasp the positional relationship between the merge candidate space on the merge destination lane and the host vehicle, and as a result, appropriate merge operation can be supported.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the merging time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time, and the second reference is set according to the relative speed of the front and rear vehicles of the host vehicle and the distance between the host vehicle and the front and rear vehicles. Acceleration / deceleration instructing means for instructing the driver to accelerate or decelerate the own vehicle when a merge candidate space that is less than the time is detected is further provided.
As a result, an appropriate merging operation according to the situation of the front and rear space of the host vehicle is performed.

Preferably, the present invention further includes driving skill determination means for determining the driving skill of the driver of the host vehicle based on the traveling state of the host vehicle or the driving history information of the driver,
The second reference time is set according to the driving skill of the driver in addition to the relative speed and the inter-vehicle distance.
As a result, an appropriate merging operation according to the driving skill of the driver is performed.

Preferably, in the present invention, when a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than the second reference time is not detected, a lane change or acceleration / deceleration is performed for the vehicle on the merge destination lane to make a merge candidate space available. Lane change instructing means for instructing.
Thereby, a merge candidate space is created on the merge destination lane, and smooth merge is achieved.

In the present invention, preferably, the lane change instructing unit instructs the driver of the own vehicle to stop merging when the lane change in the vehicle on the merging destination lane is not performed in response to the lane change instruction.
As a result, safety is achieved when a merge candidate space cannot be created on the merge destination lane.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include communication means for receiving data on the position and speed of the vehicle on the junction lane from a roadside sensor installed on the ground or from a vehicle on the junction lane.
Thereby, even if it is difficult to detect a vehicle on the joining destination lane only with the sensor of the own vehicle, a joining candidate space between the vehicles on the joining destination lane is detected with high accuracy.

  According to the vehicle driving support device of the present invention, the driver can easily grasp the positional relationship between the merge candidate space on the merge destination lane and the host vehicle, and can support an appropriate merge operation.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle travel control device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1, the structure of the vehicle driving assistance device of 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle driving support device according to the present embodiment is a vehicle driving support device that joins the own vehicle to the flow of the vehicle on the merging destination lane in an interchange on a highway, and the like. A space detection unit 1, a merging time difference calculation unit 2, and a display control unit 3 are provided.

  The merge candidate space detection unit 1 detects a merge candidate space between vehicles on the merge destination lane based on the position and speed of the vehicle on the merge destination lane. Data on the position and speed of the vehicle on the joining lane is acquired by vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication via the communication unit 10. In the inter-vehicle communication, data on the position and speed of the vehicle on the joining destination lane is received from the vehicle on the joining destination lane. In road-to-vehicle communication, data on the position and speed of the vehicle on the destination lane is received from a roadside sensor installed on the ground.

  The merge time difference calculation unit 2 calculates a merge time difference between the arrival time of the host vehicle at the merge position on the merge destination lane and the arrival time at the merge position in the merge candidate space. As the joining position on the joining destination lane, any suitable position can be set based on the map data of the vehicle-mounted navigation unit 9. The arrival time of the host vehicle at the joining position is obtained by dividing the distance from the host vehicle position to the joining position by the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The position of the host vehicle is obtained from an on-vehicle GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 8. The vehicle speed of the host vehicle is obtained from a vehicle speed sensor 7 mounted on the host vehicle. The arrival time of the merge candidate space at the merge position is obtained by dividing the distance from the position of the preceding and following vehicles in the merge space on the merge lane to the merge position by the vehicle speed of the vehicle on the merge destination lane.

  When a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than a predetermined first reference time is detected, the display control unit 3 displays the merge candidate space and the display of the host vehicle visually prioritized in ascending order of the merge time difference. Is displayed on the display device 12. The first reference time is desirably a merging time difference that allows the host vehicle to smoothly merge without particularly accelerating or decelerating. For example, the first reference time may be determined by setting empirically and correcting it empirically. . In addition, in the bird's-eye view, the merge candidate spaces are visually prioritized and displayed, for example, may be color-coded for each merge candidate space, or displayed by overlapping numbers on the merge candidate space display. May be displayed.

  In this way, by displaying a bird's-eye view near the merge position including the display of the merge candidate space and the display of the host vehicle, the driver can easily grasp the positional relationship between the merge candidate space on the merge destination lane and the host vehicle, As a result, an appropriate merging operation can be supported.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle driving support device of the present embodiment further includes an acceleration / deceleration instruction unit 4, a driving skill determination unit 5, and a lane change instruction unit 6.
Note that the merge candidate space detection unit 1, the merge time difference calculation unit 2, the display control unit 3, the acceleration / deceleration instruction unit 4, the driving skill determination unit 5, and the lane change instruction unit 6 illustrated in FIG. (unit: electronic control device) represents a processing function corresponding to each means of the vehicle driving support device of the present invention. These processing functions are realized by executing a predetermined program in the computer of the ECU or by a microchip.

  The acceleration / deceleration instructing unit 4 instructs the driver to accelerate or decelerate the own vehicle when a merging candidate space whose merging time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time and less than the second reference time is detected. To do. The second reference time is desirably a merging time difference that allows the host vehicle to smoothly merge by accelerating or decelerating. In order for the host vehicle to accelerate or decelerate, it is necessary that a sufficient vehicle interval is provided in front of or behind the host vehicle. In addition, the higher the joining time difference, the higher the driving skill required for the driver. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second reference time is set according to the driving skill of the driver in addition to the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding and following vehicles.

  The inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the front and rear vehicles may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle and the front and rear vehicles. In addition, when an obstacle detection device such as a millimeter wave radar facing the front and rear of the host vehicle is mounted, the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed may be acquired by the obstacle detection device.

  In addition, the driving skill of the driver is determined by the driving skill determination unit 5 based on the driving state of the driver of the host vehicle or the driving history information of the driver. The traveling state of the host vehicle may be determined from the acceleration when the accelerator is depressed during normal traveling and the deceleration during brake operation. For example, it may be determined that the driving skill is high when the acceleration after a predetermined time from when the accelerator is depressed is higher than a reference value. Further, the driving history information of the driver may be recorded on the IC card for each driver, and the information recorded on the IC card may be read by the IC card reader 11. The driving history information may record the accident history of the driver.

  The lane change instructing unit 6 instructs the vehicle on the merging destination lane to change lanes or accelerate / decelerate in order to clear the merging candidate space when the merging candidate space whose merging time difference is less than the second reference time is not detected. . Such a lane change instruction is performed by inter-vehicle communication. A lane change instruction is issued to a vehicle having the smallest time difference between the arrival time of the vehicle at the joining position and the arrival time of the host vehicle among the plurality of vehicles traveling on the joining lane. It is desirable.

  However, even if a vehicle traveling on the driving lane of the expressway receives a lane change instruction, the lane change cannot be performed if the vehicle is running in parallel with other vehicles in the overtaking lane. Further, when the distance between the front and rear vehicles is insufficient, acceleration / deceleration cannot be performed to open the merge candidate space.

  For this reason, the lane change instructing unit 6 instructs the driver of the own vehicle to stop merging when there is no reply to the lane change instruction from the vehicle on the merging destination lane. The stop of merging may be displayed on the display device 12 or may be instructed by voice using a voice device (not shown).

  Here, FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of the vehicle speed sensor 7, the GPS unit 8, the navigation unit 9, the communication unit 10, the IC card reader, and the display unit 11 mounted on the vehicle S. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view inside the vehicle.

Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3, the operation example of the vehicle driving assistance device of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a case where the host vehicle S merges from the introduction path 20 to the traveling lane 22 of the main line 21 in an interchange on a highway will be described. The position data of the host vehicle S is obtained by the GPS unit 8, and the speed data of the host vehicle S is obtained by the vehicle speed sensor 7. Further, the merge position Pa on the travel lane 22 of the main line 21 is obtained from the map data of the navigation unit 9 mounted on the host vehicle S.

  Further, the positions and speeds of the vehicles C1 to C4 on the traveling lane 21 that are the merging destination lane and the preceding vehicle Cf and the following vehicle Cr on the introduction path 20 are obtained by inter-vehicle communication, respectively. Specifically, a position and speed data transmission request signal is transmitted from the own vehicle S to the vehicles C1 to C4, the preceding vehicle Cf, and the following vehicle Cr. Then, in response to the data transmission request signal, the data of the position P and the speed V are transmitted from the vehicles C1 to C4, the preceding vehicle Cf, and the following vehicle Cr.

  Based on these data, first, a merge candidate space is detected (S1). Here, as the merging candidate space, when the inter-vehicle distance GAP on the merging destination lane reaches the merging position, the merging candidate space is detected that is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference distance Lth. The reference distance Lth can be set to any suitable value, for example, several tens of meters.

  Specifically, the inter-vehicle distance GAP is calculated as a difference in position between the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle that constitutes the inter-vehicle distance GAP when the preceding vehicle that constitutes the inter-vehicle distance GAP reaches the joining position. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the inter-vehicle distance GAP1 between the vehicle C1 and the vehicle C2 on the traveling lane 22 of the main line 21 will be described as an example. The inter-vehicle distance GAP1 is determined by the preceding vehicle C1 reaching the joining position Pa. Is calculated as the difference in position between the vehicle C1 and the vehicle C2.

Assuming that the current position of the vehicle C1 is P1 and the vehicle speed is V1, a time T1 required for the vehicle C1 to reach the joining position Pa is expressed by the following equation (1).
T1 = (Pa−P1) / V1 (1)

Further, assuming that the current position of the vehicle C2 is P2 and the vehicle speed is V2, the position P2r of the vehicle C2 after time T1 is expressed by the following equation (2).
P2r = P2 + V2 · T1 (2)

Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance GAP1 between the vehicle C1 and the vehicle C2 when the vehicle C1 reaches the merge position Pa is expressed by the following equation (3).
GAP1 = Pa−P2r (3)

  When the inter-vehicle distance GAP1 is greater than or equal to the reference distance Lth, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle C1 and the vehicle C2 is detected as a merge candidate space.

  Similarly, in the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance GAP2 between the vehicle C2 and the vehicle C3 and the inter-vehicle distance GAP3 between the vehicle C3 and the vehicle C4 are also detected as merge candidate spaces GAP2 and GAP3, respectively. .

  Next, when at least one merge candidate space is detected (in the case of “Yes” in S2), for each merge candidate space, the arrival time to the merge position Pa of the merge candidate space GAP and the own vehicle to the merge position Pa The difference in merging time with the arrival time of S is calculated (S3).

  The arrival time of each merging candidate space GAP to the merging position Pa is calculated as the time required for the preceding vehicle to reach the merging position Pa among the front and rear vehicles constituting each merging candidate space. For example, the arrival time T1 of the vehicle C1 at the joining position Pa is given by the above equation (1).

The arrival time Ta of the host vehicle S to the joining position Pa is expressed by the following equation (4), where the current position of the host vehicle S is P0 and the speed is V0.
Ta = (Pa−P0) / V0 (4)

For the merge candidate space GAP1, the merge time difference ΔT1 is expressed by the following equation (5).
ΔT1 = | T1-Ta | (5)

  Similarly, in this embodiment, the merging time differences ΔT2 and ΔT3 are also calculated for the merging candidate spaces GAP2 and GAP3. In the present embodiment, the merging time difference is the smallest in the merging candidate space GAP2 and the largest in the merging candidate space GAP3. That is, the merging time differences are merging candidate spaces GAP2, GAP1, and GAP3 in ascending order.

  Next, when at least one joining candidate space whose joining time difference (absolute value) is less than the first reference time Tth1 is detected (in the case of “Yes” in S4), a bird's eye view near the joining position is displayed on the display device 12. Let The bird's-eye view includes a display of merge candidate spaces and a display of the host vehicle visually prioritized in ascending order of merge time difference.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that only the absolute value of the merging time difference ΔT2 for the merging candidate space GAP2 is less than the first reference time Tth1.
In the bird's eye view, only the merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than the first reference time Tth1 may be displayed, or the merge candidate space whose merge time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time Tth1 may be displayed. Good. The prioritization display may be performed only for the merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than the first reference time Tth1, or for the merge candidate space whose merge time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time Tth1. Also good.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows an example of a bird's eye view displayed on the display screen 12 a of the display device 12. As shown in FIG. 5, this bird's-eye view shows a state where the vicinity of the junction position of the interchange on the highway is looked down from the information, and the own vehicle S, the preceding vehicle Cf, and the following vehicle Cv are shown on the introduction path 21. The vehicles C1 to C4 are shown on the travel lane 22 of the main line 21, and the merge candidate spaces GAP1 to GAP3 between the vehicles C1 to C4 are shown. Since each merge candidate space is visually prioritized and displayed in ascending order of the merge time difference, the merge candidate space GAP2 having the smallest merge time difference is displayed as a double-line ellipse and “(1)”. The number is attached. The merge candidate space GAP1 with the next smallest merge time difference is indicated by a solid oval and is numbered “(2)”. Furthermore, the merge candidate space GAP3 having the third smallest merge time is displayed as a broken-line ellipse and numbered "(3)".

  In FIG. 5, for the sake of convenience, the merge candidate space is displayed as an ellipse, but the display method of the merge candidate space is not limited to this, and any suitable display method can be adopted. Moreover, the display method of the priority order of the merge candidate space is not limited to the line type or number, and the priority order may be expressed by color coding. In that case, for example, the merge candidate space with the smallest merge time difference is displayed in blue, the merge candidate space with the smallest merge time difference is displayed in green, and the merge candidate space with the smallest merge time difference is displayed in yellow. You may make it display.

  Thus, by displaying the bird's-eye view, the driver can easily grasp the positional relationship between the merge candidate space on the merge destination lane and the host vehicle. As a result, it is possible to support an appropriate merging operation.

Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, an operation example when there is no merging candidate space whose merging time difference is less than the first reference time (in the case of “No” in S <b> 4 of FIG. 3) will be described.
In such a case, first, it is determined whether the host vehicle reaches the joining position first or the joining candidate space reaches (S6). For example, if the absolute value symbol is removed in the above equation (5) for determining the merging time difference ΔT1 for the merging candidate space GAP1, if the value of ΔT1 becomes positive, the host vehicle will arrive later. If the value of ΔT1 becomes negative, the host vehicle reaches first.

  First, a case where the host vehicle reaches the joining position later, that is, a case where the value of ΔT1 is positive will be described. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, there is a merge candidate space GAP1 on the travel lane 22 of the main line 21, but when the merge time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time Tth1, the merge candidate space GAP1 is merged. When the arrival time T1 to the position Pa is shorter than the arrival time T0 to the joining position Pa of the own vehicle S, that is, the joining candidate space GAP1 reaches the joining position Pa earlier than the own vehicle S. explain.

  In such a case, first, the inter-vehicle distance Lf and the relative speed Vf0 between the host vehicle 2 and the preceding vehicle Cf are detected (S7). The inter-vehicle distance Lf and the relative speed Vf0 may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication, or may be acquired by an obstacle detection device such as a front radar mounted on the host vehicle S.

  Next, the driving skill of the driver of the own vehicle is determined (S8). In determining the driving skill, the driving skill may be obtained from the running state by the driving operation of the own vehicle, or may be determined by the IC card reader 11 based on the driving history information such as the driver's accident history.

  Next, the second reference time Tth2 is set according to the inter-vehicle distance Lf, the relative speed Vf0, and the driving skill (S9). In the present embodiment, the second reference value for acceleration is calculated using the map data shown in FIG. In this map data, the driver's driving skill is classified into “high”, “medium” and “low”, and the second reference time is determined for each class based on the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding and following vehicles. Is set.

  Normally, the greater the inter-vehicle distance Lf (= forward vehicle position Pf−own vehicle position P0) with the preceding vehicle, or the greater the relative speed Vf0 with respect to the preceding vehicle (= vehicle speed Vf of the preceding vehicle−vehicle speed V0 of the own vehicle). As the driver's driving skill is higher, the host vehicle can be greatly accelerated, and even when the merging time difference is large, the merging can be smoothly performed. Therefore, in the map of FIG. 8A, the second reference time Tth2 is set to be longer as the inter-vehicle distance Lf is longer, the relative speed Vf0 is larger, and the driving skill is higher.

Next, when there is a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than the second reference time (“Yes” in S10), the driver of the host vehicle is instructed to accelerate (S11).
For example, when the absolute value of the merging time difference ΔT1 of the merging candidate space GAP1 is less than the second reference time Lth2, an instruction for acceleration is given. By accelerating the host vehicle, it is possible to smoothly join the join candidate space GAP1 in the vicinity of the join position Pa.

  Next, a case where the host vehicle reaches the joining position first, that is, a case where the value of ΔT1 is negative will be described. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, there is a merge candidate space GAP3 on the travel lane 22 of the main line 21, but when the merge time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time Tth1, the merge candidate space GAP3 is merged. When the arrival time T3 to the position Pa is longer than the arrival time T0 of the host vehicle S to the joining position Pa, that is, the joining candidate space GAP3 reaches the joining position Pa later than the own vehicle S. explain.

  In such a case, first, an inter-vehicle distance Lr and a relative speed Vr0 between the host vehicle 2 and the following vehicle Cv are detected (S12 in FIG. 6). The inter-vehicle distance Lr and the relative speed Vr0 may be acquired by inter-vehicle communication, or may be acquired by an obstacle detection device such as a rear radar mounted on the host vehicle S.

  Next, the driving skill of the driver of the host vehicle is determined (S13). In determining the driving skill, the driving skill may be obtained from the running state by the driving operation of the own vehicle, or may be determined by the IC card reader 11 based on the driving history information such as the driver's accident history.

  Next, the second reference time Tth2 is set according to the inter-vehicle distance Lr, the relative speed Vr0, and the driving skill (S14). In the present embodiment, the second reference value for deceleration is calculated using the map data shown in FIG. In this map data, the driver's driving skill is classified into “high”, “medium” and “low”, and the second reference time is determined for each class based on the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding and following vehicles. Is set.

  Usually, the greater the inter-vehicle distance Lr (= own vehicle position P0−rear vehicle position Pf) with the rear vehicle, or the greater the relative speed Vf0 with the rear vehicle (= vehicle speed V0 of the own vehicle−vehicle speed Vr of the rear vehicle). As the driving skill of the driver is higher, the host vehicle can be decelerated more greatly, and even when the merging time difference is large, the merging can be smoothly performed. Therefore, in the map of FIG. 8B, the second reference time Tth2 is set to be longer as the inter-vehicle distance Lr is longer, the relative speed Vr is larger, and the driving skill is higher.

Next, when there is a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than the second reference time Tth2 (“Yes” in S15), the driver of the host vehicle is instructed to decelerate (S16). For example, when the absolute value of the merging time difference ΔT3 of the merging candidate space GAP3 is less than the second reference time Lth2, an instruction for deceleration is given. By decelerating the host vehicle, the vehicle can smoothly join the join candidate space GAP3 in the vicinity of the join position Pa.
In this way, it is possible to provide support for an appropriate merging operation according to the situation before and after the host vehicle and the driving skill of the driver.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 10, when the merge candidate space is not detected on the traveling lane 22 of the main line 21 that is the merge destination lane, and the merge time difference with the merge candidate space is equal to or greater than the second reference time. The case will be described.
In such a case, the vehicle on the merging destination lane is instructed to change lanes or accelerate / decelerate by inter-vehicle communication in order to make a merging candidate space (S17). In the example shown in FIG. 11, the time difference between the arrival time of the vehicle C to the merge position Pa and the arrival time of the host vehicle S to the merge position Pa among a plurality of vehicles traveling on the travel lane 22 of the main line 21. A lane change instruction is issued to the vehicle C having the smallest.

  The vehicle C that has received a lane change or acceleration / deceleration instruction judges the situation around the host vehicle, and returns lane change or acceleration / deceleration to the host vehicle S when the lane change or acceleration / deceleration is possible. To do. In the example shown in FIG. 11, there is no vehicle on the overtaking lane 23 of the main line 21, so that the vehicle C can change lanes.

  When a lane change reply is received from the vehicle C (in the case of “Yes” in S18), the merge candidate space is detected again according to the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  However, the vehicle C instructed to change lanes may not be able to change lanes. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the vehicle C on the travel lane 22 on the main line 21 is running in parallel with the vehicle D on the overtaking lane 23. For this reason, the vehicle C cannot change lanes. Further, since there is not a sufficient inter-vehicle distance before and after the vehicle C, the vehicle C cannot be accelerated or decelerated to create a merge candidate space. In such a case, the vehicle C does not return a signal indicating that the lane change or the like can be performed (in the case of “No” in S18). The same applies even if the vehicle C replies that it is impossible to change the lane.

  In the above embodiment, whether or not the vehicle C can change the lane is determined by a reply from the vehicle C, but the position and vehicle speed information of the vehicle C and its surrounding vehicles are collected by inter-vehicle communication, It may be determined whether or not the vehicle C can change lanes in the host vehicle S.

  If the vehicle C cannot change lanes, it instructs the driver of the host vehicle to stop joining (S19). The stop instruction may be given by voice or may be displayed on the display device 12. Thereby, it is possible to prevent unreasonable merging when there is no merging candidate space and improve safety.

  In each embodiment mentioned above, although the example which constituted the present invention on specific conditions was explained, the present invention can perform various change and combination, and is not limited to this.

It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the driving assistance device for vehicles of embodiment of this invention. It is a plane schematic diagram in a vehicle. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the outline | summary of operation | movement of the driving assistance device for vehicles of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle near the junction position of the interchange of a highway. It is a bird's-eye view near the junction position of the interchange of a highway. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle near the junction position of the interchange of a highway in the case of giving an acceleration instruction | indication. (A) A map for setting the second reference time during acceleration, and (B) is a map for setting the ぢ 2 reference time during deceleration. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the vicinity of the junction position of the interchange of a highway in the case of instruct | indicating deceleration. It is a flowchart following FIG.3 and FIG.6. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the junction vicinity of the interchange of a highway in the case of giving a lane change instruction | indication. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the vehicle of the junction vicinity of the interchange of a highway when a lane change cannot be performed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Merge candidate space detection part 2 Merge time difference calculation part 3 Display apparatus 4 Acceleration / deceleration instruction part 5 Driving skill determination part 6 Lane change instruction part 7 Vehicle speed sensor 8 GPS unit 9 Navigation unit 10 Communication unit 11 IC card reader 12 Display apparatus 12a Display screen 20 Introduction route 21 Main line 22 Driving lane 23 Overtaking lane

Claims (6)

A vehicle driving support device for merging a host vehicle with a vehicle flow on a merging destination lane,
Merging candidate space detecting means for detecting a merging candidate space between vehicles on the merging destination lane;
A merging time difference calculating means for calculating a merging time difference between the arrival time of the host vehicle at the merging position on the merging destination lane and the arrival time of the merging candidate space at the merging position;
When a merge candidate space whose merge time difference is less than a predetermined first reference time is detected, the vicinity of the merge position including the display of the merge candidate space and the display of the host vehicle visually prioritized in ascending order of the merge time difference Display control means for displaying a bird's-eye view of
A vehicle driving support apparatus comprising: When a merging candidate space is detected in which the merging time difference is equal to or greater than the first reference time and is less than the second reference time set according to the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding and following vehicles, Accelerating / decelerating instruction means for instructing the vehicle to accelerate or decelerate,
The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1. Driving skill determination means for determining the driving skill of the driver of the own vehicle based on the driving state of the own vehicle or the driving history information of the driver,
The second reference time is set according to the driving skill of the driver in addition to the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed.
The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein A lane change instructing means for instructing a vehicle on the merging destination lane to change lanes or accelerate / decelerate in order to clear a merging candidate space when a merging candidate space whose merging time difference is less than the second reference time is not detected; In addition,
The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein The lane change instructing means, in response to the lane change instruction, instructs the driver of the own vehicle to stop merging when the lane change in the vehicle on the merging destination lane is not performed.
The driving support apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 4. Communication means for receiving data on the position and speed of the vehicle on the destination lane from a roadside sensor installed on the ground or from the vehicle on the destination lane.
The vehicle driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

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